Toy ball



May 3, 1938. I v. D. DA COSTA TOY BALL Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1" v INVENTOR. Ekgwhia Z. fialos/w ATTORNEYS.

"-May 3, 1938. v. D. DA COSTA 2,115,936

TOY BALL Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Mzhz'a'fl 0a [as/z BY flax WM,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY BALL llhode Island Application December 15, 1936, Serial No. 115,017

3 Claims. (01. 46-91) My invention relates to transparent, hollow toys partly fllled with liquid, and aims to improve the appearance of such articles. I One object of the'invention is to provide means in articles of the character mentioned which will impart a vari-colored effect thereto.

Another object of my invention is to provide means in such articles for giving a kaleidoscopic efiect when the toy is rolled.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

.In theaccompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a one face toy embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the article illustrated in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is aperspective view of another form of my invention;

Fig- 4 is acentral vertical section through the article illustrated in Figure 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the movable members within the ball. I The present invention is an improvement on a known form of toy which comprises a hollow, transparent bodypartly filled with liquid and containing a float. Ordinarily, the body is made from transparent celluloid in two parts and the parts hermetically sealed together while the liquid employed is commonly water. The float employed is colored in a bright attractive manner to catch the eye of observers. For'manufacturing reasons, the external bodies of such articles have common- 1y been made sphe'rical, but this is optional. I

have found that the attention of persons in the V neighborhood of such toys or articles can be more, surely attracted thereto and held, thereby for a longer period if the toys are given a vari-colored effect and especially if a kaleidoscope effect can also be produced when the toy is rolled; and the following is' a more detailed description of two present embodiments ofthis invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results "may be accomplished.

With reference to'Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, Ill designates a hollow body or shell of transparent material, shown as having a spherical or globular form, although the form of the body H) is not essential. The body I0 is shown as formed of two parts and is made of transparent celluloid,

or other light strong transparent material, and contains a body of a liquid whose surface is indicated at l2. Water is a satisfactory liquid to use in the body l0. Ordinarily, the body-l0 con- Figure 1.

tains a float l4, shown in.the form of-a fish in In accordance with my invention, I provide in the body ID a plurality of different colored solid objects or bodies l6, l6 heavier than the water or other liquid in the toy and individu- 5 ally small compared to body l0. Preferably, there are a considerable number of such objects It, say 20 or more. The objects It have various colors as indicated by the diflerent shadings applied thereto in F e 2, and may consist of pieces of 001- 10 ored agate, quartz or like colored stone, or pieces of mother-of-pearl or iridescent shell, especially if stained or dyed different colors. Some or all of objects l6 may be individually variegated as to color. Such objects should be inert to the water 15 or other liquid in the toy so that it will not dissolve them or attack them to muddy the liquid or change the colors of the objects.

The objects It naturally collect in the bottom of the toy and, when the toy is viewed at a cer- 20 tain angle, objects lB-can be seen simultaneously two ways, one in magnified form through the lower wall of the body l0, and the other in actual size through the upper portionof the wall of body Ill and through the surface of the'1iquid.'- 5 Such effect is illustrated in Figure 1 where the objects It are shown in two positions, the lower image enlarged or magnified and the upper one relatively smaller. The way in which such an elffeet is produced is illustrated somewhat diagram- 30 matically in Figure 2 by lines l8, l8 and Ill, 20' representing two light rays, both leaving the objects IS in the bottom of the body ill and con verging at the point 22 which is assumed to be the eye of the observer. In addition to such dou- 35 ble images shown in full lines in Figure 1, a number of shadowy or partial images of the objects it may often be obtained under different lighting conditions as indicated by reference characters It on Figure 1 enclosed in dotted cir- 0 cles and having dotted lead lines.

More especially, the colors from objects II are reflected in the liquid l2 and from its surface and the surface of body ill in various ways in pro ducing indefinite images or colored shadows in the liquid and thereby greatly enhancing the appearance of the toy. For example, when the article is viewed from above and esp cia y in a strong light, a colored ring, which may be of one or more colors appears around the edge of the' liquid surface. ,It is thought that the flllet 24 at the edge of the meniscus plays a part in producing or magnifying this eflect.

Further examples of the ways in which the objects l6 may produce different colored efl'ects 55 in the liquid l2 are indicated by two different sets of broken lines in Figure 2. One set of lines is indicated by reference characters 28, 26 and 26', 26'; and the other set of lines is indicated by'reference numerals 28, 28 and 28', 28'. The lines 26 represents rays of light leaving the objects 16 and passing through the surface of the liquid so as to strike the inner face of the ball III at points 21,11. Some of rays 26-are reflected as indicated by reference characters 28' and thereupon pass back through the surface of the liquid l2 and strike the wall of the ball In at points 21', 21', beneath the surface of the liquid. The colors of the objects l8 therefore will appear .to the observer who is looking at either of the points 21 or 21. In a similar way, the rays 28 leaving the objects I 6 and passing through the surface of the liquid l2 strike the inner face of the ball III at points 29, 28 and are then partly reflected so as to pass again through the surface l2 and strike the inner face of the body I ii at points 29, 29', the portion of the rays 28 being reflected at points '29 being indicated by the lines having reference characters 28' applied thereto. Colors therefore appear to persons looking at points 29 and 29'. However, I do not limit myself to any particular optical theory as to how the colors or other pleasing efiects of my invention are produced.

In general, the description of Figures 1 and 2 .given above applies also to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The

portions of the description of Figures 1 and 2 and the reference characters used therein which apply equally to Figures 3 and 4 will not be repeated. The toy of Figures 3 and4, however, differs from that of Figures 1 and 2 in that, instead of employing different colored objects such as It of Figures 1 and 2 having somewhat irregular forms,

the toy of Figures 3 and 4 has inside it a plu-' rality of different colored fiat objects IS, the differences in color indicated by shading, those illustrated being disks cut from diiferent colored sheets of celluloid. The optical effects produced by-objects l6 are substantially the same as those above described with respect to objects I6, the disks l6 being heavier than the water, or other liquid employed, mostly gather in a mass as shown at the bottom of the toy when it is stationary. Due to their small size and flat form,

' however, objects I 6' tend to adhere to the inner surface of the body In and some ofthem are carried around by it when the toy is rolled so as to increase the kaleidoscopic efiect. The adhesion between the disks and the body, however, is quite slight and the disks can be washed loose from the portion of body In above the liquid level when so desired by merely shaking it.

While I have illustrated floats in both Figures 1 and 3, I do not limit myself to the use of such a feature.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the' construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understoodjhat I reserve the privilege of substantial extent, and a plurality of difierently colored objects loosely positioned within said shell comprising a material heavier than the liquid and insoluble and inert with respect thereto, said objects being movable to different positions along the inner curved surface of the shell upon a rolling movement of the toy, said inner shell surface being of such a character that there is refiected to the eye of an observer angularly glancing at the ball a double image of the objects therein, one of said images being-seen in magnified form through the lower wall of the shell,

while the other image can 'be seen in actual size through the wall of the upper portion ofthe shell and being reflected through the surface of the liquid therein, said images being reflected upwardly as converging light rays passing through said liquid to the eye of the observer.

2. A toy comprising a hollow transparent globular shell having an outer convexly curved surface, said shell being partly filled with a liquid to provide an upper refracting surface, and a plurality of differently colored objects loosely positioned within said shell comprising a material heavier than the liquid and insoluble and in ertwith respect thereto, said objects being move able to different positions along the inner curved surface of the shell upon a rolling movement of a character that there isrefiected to the eye of an observer ,anguarly glancing at the ball a double image of the objects therein, one of said images being seen in magnified form through the lower wall of the shell, while the other image can be seen in actual size through the wall of theupper portion of the shell and being reflected'through the surface of the liquid therein, said images being reflected upwardly as converging light rays passing through said liquid tothe eye of the observer, said objects comprising flat disks capable of adhering to the inner surface of the shell.

3. A toy comprising a hollow transparent globular shell of celluloid composition having an outer convexly curved surface, said shell being partly filled with a liquid to leave a free space above the same, and a plurality of differently colored fiat disks loosely pdsitioned within said the toy, said inner shell surface being of such shell comprising a material heavier than the liqi VIRGINIA 1). DA been. 

